Under the terms of this agreement, signed by Mr. Adel El Fakir, Managing Director of the ONMT, and Nicholas Pilbeam, Divisional Director at Reed Travel Exhibitions, the ochre city will host the 22nd edition of IGTM, a major exhibition for the global golf tourism sector and this, after Cannes, France (December 11-14, 2017) and Ljubljana, Slovenia (October 15-18, 2018), which is a consecration for the golf and tourism destination Morocco.
Dedicated to professionals, this Show is an exceptional platform for the 600 international exhibitors and 450 tour operators to develop partnerships with the host country.
The signing ceremony of this agreement took place in the presence of the wali of the Marrakech-Safi region, governor of the prefecture of Marrakech, Karim Kassi-Lahlou, Omar Touimi, governor of the province of Al-Haouz, Mustapha Zine, President Delegate of the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation (FRMG), Hamid Bentahar, President of the Regional Council of Tourism of Marrakech, David Todd, Reed Travel Exhibitions, representatives of the Association of the Hassan II Trophy (ATH) and other personalities and guests.
Speaking on this occasion, Mr. El Fakir said that the signing of this agreement is an important moment for the region and the city of Marrakech as well as for Morocco, recalling that the ONMT has been working for several years with its partners at Reed Exhibitions on this major event.
"The organization of the IGTM in Marrakech demonstrates once again the capacity of the destination to host large-scale events. We intend to develop a lasting partnership with Reed Exhibitions in order to organize future events in Morocco," said Mr. El Fakir.
The CEO of the ONMT has, in this sense, highlighted the positioning of the ochre city and its immense potential to host major global events successful throughout the year, citing as examples the GATT and COP 22, adding that beyond the IGTM 2019, the objective is to position Morocco as a major golf destination, especially since it is a very important segment of global tourism in which the Kingdom must position itself strongly.
And Mr. El Fakir to continue that this signature represents the culmination of a long work of support and confidence, upgrading and transfer of skills, stressing that the organization of the IGTM is the beginning of a new phase in this very promising segment and will be one of the major segments of tourism in Morocco and especially at the level of the city of Marrakech.
For his part, Mr. Pilbeam stressed that today, thanks to the combined efforts of the ONMT, the ATH and the FRMG for the promotion of golf in Morocco, the opportunity to develop together a fruitful partnership has begun, and "we are particularly proud to be able to contribute to the notoriety of the Moroccan golf product".
He also praised the Moroccan hospitality and warm welcome for his first visit to the Kingdom and to Marrakech, an impressive city and a magnificent destination that stands out for its potential and its high quality tourist infrastructure, its exceptional climate, its gastronomy, and its golf courses that predestine it to host the IGTM 2019.
